The potential applications are vast, but uncertainty lingers as to whether the remaining challenges can ever be resolved.MARIE FREEBODY, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, [email protected]The next decade is going to be a telling one for those working in pursuit of cardiac optogenetics. Initial proofs have been demonstrated, the optical tools have been developed and scientific evidence has grown to a point where the tremendous potential of this technique is clear. Cardiac optogenetics holds out the promise of a wide range of clinical possibilities from halting heart attacks and treating arrhythmia to displacing the need for animal testing of drugs. 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